"I potentially could have won more Slams, it's easy to get down on yourself and ask, 'Why is this happening to me?'" - Andy Murray on fighting through injury
Tennis superstar Andy Murray is currently gearing up for the second round of Wimbledon following his 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 defeat of James Duckworth on Monday. Though the former World No.1 is a long way away from competing for Grand Slam titles, he is determined to make an effort to get back to the top.
Speaking to ATP Uncovered, Murray spoke about how he potentially missed out on winning many more Grand Slams and tournaments due to a hip injury.
"In 2016, I won Wimbledon, I reached the final of the French Open and Australian Open, I was ranked No. 1 in the world and then I had almost a career-ending injury. I potentially could have won more events and more Slams and I was certainly in the mix for all of them at that time so it was difficult and it's easy to get down on yourself and ask, 'Why is this happening to me?'", Andy Murray said.
The 35-year-old also spoke about the challenges he has faced throughout his career, especially with the hip injury, and how it was uncharted territory for a tennis player to play with a metal hip.
"I think I showed a lot of perseverance. During my career, obviously, when I've lost big matches and stuff, I have kept coming back. This was more challenging that a lot of those losses and stuff. Playing at the highest level with a metal hip has not been done in the sport. So, it's obviously a very difficult thing to do."
The three-time Grand Slam champion said that he surprised both himself and his team with his efforts to get back on the tour and compete at the highest level once again.
"It's pretty basic and a lot of people say it but it's just to never give up. In some ways, I've surprised myself and surprised a lot of the guys that I work with, a lot of the doctors and stuff that I spoke to. So, I'm very proud of what I've achieved since I've come back to play because it's not easy and there are certainly lessons I've learnt along the way in my tennis career that's helped me deal with the last few years probably a little bit."
Centre Court erupts as @andy_murray books his place in the second round
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Andy Murray interested in becoming a coach after his retirement
Andy Murray also said that while it is important to celebrate every achievement as a player, dwelling on them for too long tends to lead to overconfidence.
"The biggest lesson I've learnt is it's important to enjoy the highs but you're often competing at a tournament a few days later and getting over confident and things like that, you can easily lose in a couple of days. So you need to try just as much as possible to stay sort of levelheaded. So you obviously have to learn how to deal with those losses in a positive and constructive way," Andy Murray said.
A moment of mischief from @andy_murray 😉
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The two-time Wimbledon champion believes that he has enjoyed a career with a lot of ups and downs, which makes him the perfect candidate to become a coach in the future.
"There's many decisions and many things I would have done differently. And that's one of the reasons why when I finish playing, that I quite like the idea of being involved in coaching and that sort of stuff because I feel like I've experienced a lot in my career and I achieved a lot of targets that I would have liked to," Murray concluded.